So, I came in to L.A. Noir not expecting to really connect with the game at all. When I hear things like "unprecedented interactive experience" that tends to happen. But maybe I'm lame. I’m also not a big GTA fan and, although I'd heard L.A. Noire wasn't really a GTA game, the external trappings made me think otherwise. Obviously enough, it isn't until you sit down and begin the inspections, investigations, and interrogations that L.A. Noire really begins to reveal its appeal -- by enthralling you with the internal trappings, the lives and lies of the Los Angeles natives.

It's interesting to note that the "player-character" connection doesn't seem to be made through the use of cut-scenes, although those do help, but rather through the questioning sequences performed by Phelps (whom the player controls) and the dialog between Phelps and his partner. It's kind of funny but I actually strive to be the quintessential good cop when I play this game which can be ascribed, in part, to the authenticity of the people you interact with. Ingrained in both the questioning and partner dialogues is a sense of authenticity that makes the cut-scenes and cases all the more engaging.

People lie, it's a part of our nature but maybe the woman who just heard her neighbor has been killed is simply nervous; that's why she's fidgeting. Or maybe her "game face" is simply one very well rehearsed facade. Watch her for a bit and you might catch that tiny smirk on her face or that air of superiority that she projects, all of which could be paramount in determining whether she's lying or, at the very least, not being totally honest. These half-truths are also additions which add another level of intrigue not only to the case as a whole, but to the mindsets and roles of each suspect within. Granted, it'd be rather rudimentary if only "truth" and "lie" options were present but I find myself always seeking out the option which reveals the most information about a case due, in part, to my desire for a five star review but also because suspects might reveal aspects of themselves I may not have considered. The same can be said for Phelps’s partner. Nobody is perfect. Everybody (Phelps included) has baggage from the past. It is this realistic highlight that makes L.A. Noire an engaging and fun experience.